Boys Volleyball: Bears step up for 11th win of season

NEW BEDFORD — An experienced server and inexperienced setter combined to lead the GNB Voc-Tech boys volleyball team to it 11th win of the season, 3-0 over Taunton Wednesday at Janiak Fieldhouse.

BILL ABRAMSON

NEW BEDFORD — An experienced server and inexperienced setter combined to lead the GNB Voc-Tech boys volleyball team to it 11th win of the season, 3-0 over Taunton Wednesday at Janiak Fieldhouse.

Senior Andrew Glover served 11 straight winners, including four aces, in the third set and sophomore Diondre Charros-Gomes stepped in for a sick teammate to set for the first time all season. The result was a 25-12, 25-19, 25-7 win.

Glover added five kills, three digs and 14 service points to his four aces, using his jump serve.

"He's been very effective with the jump serve," GNB Voc-Tech coach Richie Gomes said. "That's the only serve he's used and it's one of the most difficult serves in volleyball to be effective."

Glover, in his third year playing the sport, credits his mom for putting him on the volleyball court.

"I played soccer my sophomore season, but I didn't like it," Glover said. "My mom (Becky Glover) told me I had to pick a sport to play. She played volleyball in high school and college, and kind of pushed me to the sport.

"I started playing my sophomore season and our great coaching staff taught me how to play. Once I started getting aces and kills, I really liked it."

The jump serve came about after Glover watched YouTube videos of professionals and Olympic volleyball players.

"The jump serve is high risk-high reward," he pointed out. "I started doing it, but it takes a lot of work to get it down. You have to account for the ball, the steps and making contact with the ball at the right point. With my height (6-foot-1), everything worked out."

For Charros-Gomes, who has been an outside defender and hasn't set since freshman year when he started with the junior varsity, it was a surprise change.

"It was halfway through the school day and coach texted me that I was going to be the setter," Charros-Barros explained.

Starting setter Cole McGarty, who was closing in on 1,000 assists for his career, was sick and wasn't in school. Charros-Barros would have to run the offense.

"For a sophomore setter to come in and control the offense in his first time setting this season, was something," Gomes said. "He is probably our best well-rounded player, who can play any position. The players had to adjust to the different timing. Cole is faster and Diondre is higher."

Charros-Gomes' dad, Aaron Gomes, played volleyball at Voc-Tech and talked about the game, so when Diondre came to the school, he chose the sport.

"I started my freshman year and never stopped," he said. "I think I showed I could be a good player."

WHAT IT MEANS: GNB Voc-Tech is now 11-1 on the season and 5-0 in first place of the South Alliance. Taunton, playing with a small team, size-wise, dropped to 0-14 on the season.

GOMES: "Our passing kind of fell apart in the second game, but we came back. "» Diondre had a great connection with (6-foot-7) Nick (Portelance) and every time he went up to get it, it wasn't coming back. "» Our captain, Jakeem Gonzalez, is a defensive machine. You can't get much by him. He's the smallest player, but he plays like the biggest player."

GNB VOC-TECH STATS: Charros-Gomes had 22 assists, three kills and 8-of-10 service points; Portelance, a senior, had seven kills and a block; senior Jacob Girard had 14 service points and served out all three games; Gonzalez had five digs, seven kills, four aces and 13 service points; junior libero Tyler Magina led the team with eight digs and senior Guillermo Solivan had three aces and five kills.

NOTES: McGarty will get his shot at his 1,000th career assist Monday when the Bears play at Quincy. McGarty, a junior, has 982 assists. ... Glover will attend Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., and will play volleyball there. He will study electrical engineering, project management, economics or business.